Corona Devotionals

Everyone knows what sticks and stones will do ( break my bones ), and we know the rest of that rhyme too: " but words will never hurt me ". Is that true, though? Ask the child with the critical parent. Ask the bullied boy or girl. Ask those following Jesus in a world that knows Him not. Ask me. Ask yourself. Whose words are defining us today? If we are not careful, other people and their words will gain an unhealthy and incorrect influence over us. God's Word , and His Truth define us and who we are, and God has a lot to say...an entire Bible, actually. All written for you and me to better understand His love for us and His truth about us. God also gives us true accounts within the Bible of people who did it right when it came to believing what God said about them, instead of believing the bullies. David knew God, and David knew what God said about him...and David believed it, and David stood upon God's Word about him. ~~~ How did Goliath treat David? And whe...

How is our plumb line?   No....not our plum line.. .  Our... plumb line .  How is our plumb line ?  Okay, first: What is it?  What is a plumb line ?  Ask any carpenter or builder, dating back to about the 15th century (the first time the term was used).   Or, if we were to ask the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it would say that a plumb line is:  a line (as of cord) that has at one end a weight (such as a plumb bob) and is used especially to determine verticality.   A plumb line is a simple tool consisting of a string with a heavy weight (plumb bob) attached to one end.  B y relying on gravity, it provides a perfectly straight vertical reference line used to ensure structures are true, measure depths, or align objects.  ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary A plumb line is a device that keeps things (measurements/structures/foundations) on the straight and narrow... literally , and i n the Bible, God uses the term plumb line t...

We had some friends over to our house the other day.  It was a mixed group of people, and everyone did not know each other prior to the gathering.  And truth-be-told, I had cast a wide net, but I didn't really  know who would be attending.   All I "knew" was that it was my role to "ask", and that God would work out who "answered". As we readied the rooms, and lit some candles, and plated some food, and tidied some corners... I prayed .  People were coming over, and I knew that their draw wasn't me, but they would be answering a knock on their heart from the Lord.   The gathering, although nothing fancy or formal, was God's idea .  The sweet tea and banana-frosted cookies were my job, but the purpose and fulfillment...that was all Jesus, and He and I both knew that. Why does anyone walk through the door to a home?  And what needs/desires/prayers are on their hearts that we can be aware (or involved) in?  Only God can answer that....

We forget where our wins come from.  We gain speed and momentum and we think we  are providing the torque. We advance, or our efforts succeed, and our pride swells and settles and steals  God's glory. We forget where our wins come from.   And God (through His Word) reminds us today: So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.  ~Zechariah 4:6 Zing!!   God is first, and God is fierce, and (still), we forget  Him sometimes.  We elevate ourselves and we claim the prizes in our victories.  But (Spoiler-alert!!) God gets all the glory because He is the author and the hero of our story.   For real.   It is not by our might , or in  our own might that we progress or attain success.  It is only by the Lord and His Spirit .   Only. And power ?  Even the sheer word forces us to remember and realize that...